


Confusion Circle

by gaialux



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Blow Jobs, First Time, Frottage, Hand Jobs, M/M, Pre-Series, Prom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-23
Updated: 2015-01-23
Packaged: 2018-03-08 13:45:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3211316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaialux/pseuds/gaialux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How Rick and Shane <em>really<em> spend their senior prom.</em></em></p>
            </blockquote>





	Confusion Circle

**Author's Note:**

> I originally wanted this to be very centric _on_ prom, but not being American I soon gave up on the nuances and created this instead. Uh...enjoy? :D.

He's wearing a suit. A fucking suit. It's got a red bow tie that chaffs his throat and cuff-links that scratch his wrists. The moment he gets out of the car he's ripping those things off and going to find some booze. He would have done that before if not for his parents insisting on driving him.

"And you'll be home by midnight?" his mom says, twisting around in the front seat. By the way she looks you'd think Shane had never been out of the house before.

"Yeah," Shane says, tugging at his sleeves. "That's what I said."

"And don't get too down about Ash cancelling on you." The look she gives now is drowning in pity.

"I'm not," Shane says through gritted teeth. It's the truth -- really. If Ashley would rather go fuck some college student than attend her senior prom, then so be it. Shane didn't care. Not even a little bit.

Up ahead he can see the school with cars and limousines already parked outside. Prom was to be held in the gymnasium, of course, but a little birdy had told him Mark Schaffer would be hosting an afterparty at his parent's property.

Shane had no actual intention to be home by midnight.

"You can drop me off here," Shane says when they're a couple of blocks away.

"You sure?" his father asks, still driving with no show of slowing down.

"Yeah," Shane says. His hand ghosts over the door handle. "Dad. It's cool."

It's another few feet before the indicator clicks on and they're pulling up at the curb. Shane shoots both his parents a quick goodbye before he's out the door and making his way toward the gym. When his parents are out of sight he takes a detour toward the back way, figuring anyone hustling would be doing it by the woods there.

"Hey, Shane!"

He's not very far at all when he hears that voice -- Rick's. Shane turns and sees his best friend coming toward him with a grin on his face. His tie is almost an identical colour to Shane's.

"Hey," Shane says, an easy grin coming to his face. "And don't you scrub up all right?"

"I could say the same to you." Rick squeezes his upper arm briefly before his hand drops away.

"Where's Lori?" Shane asks, expecting the familiar face of the past year to show up despite her still being a sophomore.

Rick shakes his head. "We're uh...actually, I don't know where we are."

"And you didn't think to mention that to me?" 

Shane liked to think that, despite them maybe not sharing all their  _feelings_ , Rick might be capable of dropping a few tid bits about his relationships here and there. Shane sure knew _he_ did; Rick was the first person he complained to when Ash dropped him tonight.

Rick shrugs. "It's not a big a deal as you might think. We're fine --  _I'm_  fine. Come on inside."

"So is she still your girlfriend?" Shane asks as he follows Rick into the gymnasium, thoughts of getting drunk temporarily gone. He doesn't know why he cares so much, only that Rick is his friend and he wants him happy. Not that Rick looks unhappy, but.

"Not for tonight," Rick says. 

There's a gleam in his eyes Shane's not sure he's seen before and whether or not he likes it is up for debate. Still, it seems to be a positive emotion, so Shane goes with it. Greets his friends and some of the cute chicks that have come without -- or, okay, even with -- dates and finds himself, more or less, circling back to Rick in the process.

At least until Mark comes in hours late and ushers Shane over with an up-nod of his head. Shane goes. What else is he waiting for around here? Rick's been dancing with Candace for the last three songs and everybody else worth being around has already paired up. Mark lifts his tux jacket slightly and Shane sees the glint of a glass bottle.

"You're paying half," Mark tells him in a not-quite whisper. He's swaying enough for Shane to conclude that he's drunk. "Should be more -- my fucking parents almost caught me raiding their stash."

"Well I'm glad they didn't." Shane takes the bottle from him and downs a huge mouthful before it burns his throat and waters his eyes.

"They announce Prom Queen yet?" Mark asks.

"What's the point?" Shane asks with a snort. "We already know Lucinda's got it in."

"Prom King, then," Mark says. He's swaying harder now, eyes slightly hooded. The chances of him getting caught the moment they walk out onto the dance floor is very, very high.

"Seriously, guys?"

Shane turns around to see Rick. His arms are crossed but there's an amused smile on his face that Shane focuses on instead.

"You want some?" Shane asks, shaking the bottle. He's consumed more than he thought; only a couple inches of the brown liquid left.

"Don't," Mark says and, somehow, has enough coordination to reach across and take the bottle back from Shane.

Shane turns away from Rick, back to Mark. "What the hell?"

"You wanna share booze with the the future son-in-law of Mrs. PTA? She'd report us to the board."

Shane knows he means Lori's mom. "What does that matter? He's already seen us drinking, Mark -- and it's fucking prom. We've graduated."

"I wouldn't--"

Mark cuts Rick off. "Your future isn't set on a free ride to Georgia U, Shane." He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and thrusts the alcohol bottle into Shane's hand. "You know what? Give me fifty and you can keep the damn rest."

Shane wordlessly reaches into his pocket and hands a crumpled bill to Mark.

"You say anything," Mark says to Rick. "I'll fuck you up, you understand me?"

"Loud n' clear." It's dripping in sarcasm which Mark doesn't seem to catch as he walks back out on the dance floor. Rick raised his eyebrows at Shane. "What was that all about?"

"He always did get a short fuse after drinking." Shane shrugs. "Fuck him. You wanna finish this off?"

Rick shakes his head. "All yours."

"Pussy." Shane smirks and takes a long swig, attempting to conceal a cough when it burns more than the last time. It's shit whiskey and not worth the $50 he just spent, but alcohol is alcohol on prom night, so drink up.

Rick rolls his eyes. "Like you can handle it."

"Fuck you." The bottle is almost empty now and Rick's actually wrong -- he can't feel much of any effects. Goddamn waste of money. "So you gonna tell me what happened between you and Lori?"

"Don't you think we should go back out there?"

Rick takes one step and Shane grabs his arm. "No," Shane says. "I don't."

Rick's not meeting his eye and Shane's got no idea why. It's not like he'd  _care_ about the reasons. He's just a nosey fucker.

"Shit happens," Rick says. "All there is to it."

Shane releases his grip but stays close. "Right."

Shane's eyes swim a little, and he blinks hard to re-focus. At least Rick manages to remain in view. Shane breathes out and the world stays steady. Good. He's fine.

"I mean," Rick says. He's still not looking at Shane. The pause seems to go on forever, but Shane chooses to shut up during it. "I just don't think we'd work...yet."

The  _yet_ seems tacked on like an afterthought, but the alcohol might just be effecting Shane's comprehension skills. He licks over his lips and watches Rick's eyes follow. Yeah, definitely the alcohol.

"What do you mean by that?" Shane still asks. Keeps pushing and pushing because he has no filter. Never has -- probably never will.

"It means me and Lori aren't together right now, Shane," Rick says. His voice is rough. "Can't put it in many other words."

"You seemed pretty together last weekend," Shane says. When they were at a party and Lori was practically hanging on Rick everywhere they went. Shane doesn't think he's had a single fucking conversation with her since they first met.

Rick looks at the floor. "A week can be a long time."

Shane doesn't respond. He takes another drink. His heart feels loud and strong enough to be heard here behind the bleachers, and Shane's just waiting for one of the teachers to find them. Suddenly it's not the alcohol he's afraid they'll see; he's not sure  _what_ it is, but when Rick looks back at him he finds himself looking the other way. _  
_

"I told her I couldn't," Rick says. His founds sounds almost caught somewhere in his throat and he coughs once the words are out. "It just wasn't _working_..."

"All right," Shane says. Another sudden thing: He doesn't  _want_ to know anymore. He's sorry for even bringing it up. He wants to go back out to the main area of the gymnasium, dance, and maybe even try his luck with Candace again.

"Hey Shane?"

He closes his eyes briefly before answering. "Yeah?"

When he opens his eyes again, it's to Rick's face even closer than before. His breath ghosts over Shane's face, all the way down to his lips, and Rick's eyes follow. Shane has a second --  _a single second_ \-- to think about backing out before Rick leans forward and closes all space between them.

Rick's mouth is hot against his and his tongue burns when it slides past Shane's lips. Shane kisses back, with everything he can muster up. There's the vague thought that they're about five feet away from their entire senior class, but Shane makes the choice to stay.

The music stops abruptly and Rick pulls back sharply from Shane. He's breathing hard -- they both are. Rick opens his mouth but, no, Shane's not going through the motions right now. He brushes past Rick to look back out over the main dance floor and the makeshift stage Principal Mackey is standing on.

"You wanna know who our Cinderella is?" Shane asks, in a voice that isn't quite his. "I'm putting my money on Lucinda."

"Yeah," Rick says. He slumps back against the wall and Shane can't help looking at him, at the way his body sits. "And Evan's got king, yeah?"

"Probably." Shane takes another sip of alcohol in an attempt to stop his voice from shaking. He's not exactly sure where his next words of, "You wanna get outta here?", come from.

Rick smiles. It doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Aren't we supposed to embrace prom? The summation of our high school experience?"

Shane swallows. "How many of these people do you really wanna know?"

With that, Rick pushes himself off the wall and, together, they make their way out one of the un-monitored side doors. That's what you get when none of the teachers give a shit about prom night.

It's cold and it couldn't even be ten yet. A great gust of wind coming up and slamming Shane in the face. He twists his bow tie loose and shoves the cuff links into his pocket. Once they're a good few feet away from the gymnasium and heading into bushland, he frees a few buttons on his jacket as well.

Then Rick's twisting a hand through his newly exposed white shirt and bringing him in for a kiss. It downright bruises with the way Rick's tugging on his lips, and Shane loves every last bit of it. Even when it sends the bottle of Kentucky bourbon tumbling to the ground and rolling on.

Rick pushes them up against the tree and his mouth roams down to Shane's neck. And, hey -- Shane always figured himself a bit of an initiator,  the dominating one even -- but right now he's pretty damn happy to let Rick take the lead. Especially when it's combined with that wanton smile staring up at Shane as Rick makes his way further down.

"Can I?" Rick asks. 

It takes Shane a few more minutes to get with the program, seeing as all his blood has rushed south so to speak. "Yeah," he does say when the muscles of his mouth decide to start working as a team. Then adds, for no particular reason, "Fuck."

Shane thinks he catches the words "I want to" before Rick closes his mouth around Shane's cock.

Shane's hands fly straight to Rick's curls that, in some way, feel similar to Shane's own. But his mouth --  _fuck_ \-- it's got its own category Shane's hand and the few chicks he's been with can't compete against.

Rick pulls off and the cool breeze from the woods floats over, makes Shane shiver. Rick's fingers are on his thighs, tracing indiscernible patterns over the hair and skin.

"Is this..." Rick's warm breath mixes with the air and Shane grabs the base of his own cock to keep everything grounded. "I mean..."

Shane drops to his own knees and presses his hands to the side of Rick's face. When he kisses him, it's a mixture of sweat, salty pre-come, and spit mixing in his mouth. Shane licks deeper and Rick makes a sound almost like a fucking whimper crossed with a sigh. He brings Shane closer until Rick's flat on his back with Shane on top. They both might be mostly clothed, but Shane can feel Rick's hot and heavy cock resting about against his thigh.

"Yeah, baby," Shane murmurs when they have to pull apart just to breath. It's dark out, but enough light comes from the moon and stars that Shane can vaguely make out Rick's blown-wide eyes. "Just like that."

He works a hand between them both and traces the outline of Rick's cock. Right up to the fly that he tugs down so he can reach inside. It's different to touching his own dick -- thicker, warmer. Shane flicks his thumb over the head and listens to Rick moan.

"How long?" Shane asks.

Rick doesn't answer. He grips his fingers into Shane's shoulders and jerks his cock through Shane's hand. Shane holds him still.

"How long?" he repeats, this time with a growl to his voice. He knows Rick will get what he means:  _How long have you wanted this? How long you been holding out on me?_

"Ages," Rick says. He gasps. His fingertips grip in tighter and Shane can feel the nails break through his skin. "Always." Breathless "I think."

Shane takes it. He takes it even though he wants the exact day, minute, second it happened; to remember the way Rick's eyes changed or his smile. To know how much time he's missed out on. He leans down and kisses Rick's mouth, swallowing the sounds Rick makes as Shane starts jacking his cock again.

There's so many things Shane wants to do that his brain feels fuzzy, light-headed, even above what alcohol usually does. The feel and smell and taste of Rick all around him is more intoxicating than it has any right to be. Shane's cock feels heavy where it rests forgotten between them, but damn if he's gonna fuck this up with any thread of selfishness.

He twists his wrist just below the head and Rick breaks away to cry out as he comes. The sound echoes through the woods and a lone bird - a hawk Shane thinks, but he can't be too sure when he's focused so much more on what is happening underneath him - takes off into the midnight air. It's only then that he realises he's been rutting against Rick's leg, heat pooling down low, and he comes with a hoarse shout of his own. It might sound a little like "Rick".

It's cold now, as he feels himself coming down. Shane rolls off Rick in a tangle of his jacket, shirt, and pants. He feels too heavy to re-arrange himself and instead stays wedged against Rick's side. He doesn't even complain when Rick drops a hand to his hip and squeezes with the slightest bit of pressure.

They'll have to get up. Soon. Find their way back to the gymnasium and act like nothing's changed. But that's okay. Because Shane still  _knows_ it has -- or, at least, the changes are out in the open now. He looks up the starry skin and grins.


End file.
